Paratilapia Polleni.

[DazzaClio]

Hi,

Ive recently got a Paratilapia Polleni which i think is a Male hes around the 8 inch mark.

I will try and get a picture of him.

I would like anyone who has owned one to share their experiences with them and any advice which may help.

Thanks Darren.

 

[troy90]

Hey Darren

Well you're off to a good start because you know they're from Madagascar. Here's a bit more info based on my experiences.

Size: Around 20-25cm, males will typically be larger than females, males may also develop a nuchal hump. Growth is typically slow compared to something like an oscar.

Diet: Frozen food is happily accepted but shouldn't be fed more than a few times a week. A staple diet of quality pellets is best, I use hikari cichlid bio gold.

Temperature: Ive kept mine at temperatures varying from 26 to 30 degrees Celsius (not sure what that is in Fahrenheit).

PH: They are not too fussy on PH, I keep mine at 7.5 (the PH of my tap water). I would say anything around 7 would probably be fine.

Temperament: Aggressive, especially when a pair forms (like most cichlids of similar size).

Tank mates: It's really up to the individual fish, some will tolerate tank mates, some won't.

Hope that helps

 

[Cichlaholics Anonymous]

the above is mostly true, i had one in a 125 with other cichlids, it dominated the tank, but did not kill any of the tankmates that it was raised with...eventually it got too aggressive if i attempted to add anything new. Very similar to oscars in personality and demeanor to me, except more aggressive

 

[screaminleeman]

The most timid of the Tilapia that I have kept. It is far more likely to make a community cichlid tank from than either the Nile or Buttekoferi!

 

[troy90]

I agree with Cichlaholics, your chances at tank mates will be much higher if you raise them together.